How I Returned to My Pre-Pregnancy Weight

Not once in my 27 years of existence have I ever set foot inside a gym. I’ve never been decent at any sport, and I barely passed my physical education classes. Needless to say, every time I needed to lose some pounds, I did it purely through adjustments in my diet.

This placed me in quite a pickle after giving birth. I wanted to lose weight fast, but I also wanted to breastfeed exclusively, which meant that I couldn’t go on a diet while my baby was entirely dependent on my milk. Going on a diet could result in lower milk supply, a risk I did not want to take. And so I decided to take it slow and not go on any drastic diet for weight loss. To my pleasant surprise, despite eating normally, I lost weight steadily, and by the time Wolf turned six months, I was back to my weight before getting pregnant. How did it happen? What sorcery took place? Looking back, I can say that the weight did seem to magically melt away, but it wasn’t actually an unexplainable phenomenon. It wasn’t magic; even better, it was science!

A combination of factors, which I shall discuss below, led to my successful weight loss. If you desire to lose baby weight without exercising, here are some tips for you.

Breastfeed exclusively. This is the most important tip I can give. Breastfeeding exclusively burns up to 500 calories per day (equivalent to around two hours of brisk walking), and is therefore a very effective workout for your body. Honestly, caring for a newborn uses up so much time and energy that I don’t think trips to the gym would have been feasible, even if I were so inclined. Enter breastfeeding! Ta-da! Moms CAN have it all — “all” being bonding time with their babies alongside a fabulous weight loss program. Breastfeeding is actually nature’s wonderful solution to helping moms get back in shape. Not only does it burn tons of calories, but it also speeds up the shrinking of your uterus. Hello again, flat tummy!

Eat normally. Think of how you ate before you got pregnant and try to eat similarly. Of course, this is much easier said than done, because breastfeeding makes moms hungry round the clock! What I did was I made sure that my meals were healthy and full of veggies. I limited my rice intake to one cup per meal, but I ate huge servings of vegetables and protein. I also did not deprive myself of sweets, but I ate these in moderation (average of one serving per day). So the key is balance. I would think of my meals by the day (for example, I’d eat a light lunch if I knew we’d be eating out for dinner, or if I’d eaten a heavy lunch, I’d hold off dessert after dinner).

Drink a lot of water. Breastfeeding makes moms extremely thirsty all the time. It’s very important to stay hydrated throughout the day. I would make it a point to drink a lot of water before meals, to ensure that I don’t mistake my thirst for hunger.

Avoid junk food. Being constantly hungry, it’s very tempting to munch on chips or crackers in between meals. However, food low in nutrition and good fat will seriously derail you from losing weight. Go for natural, whole food like fruits and nuts. When I felt like snacking, my default food would be pistachios.

Weigh yourself regularly. I weighed myself every morning, because I enjoyed seeing the number steadily decrease. I also was better able to keep myself in check, bouncing back quickly from cheat days when I saw no improvement in my weight the next day.

Be slow but sure. Remember that it took nine months to gain all that weight, and so losing it in a healthy manner should take around the same time. Don’t rush, because the goal is not to lose weight fast (this isn’t healthy, and more often than not, the pounds will come back with a vengeance). The goal is to lose the pounds for good, which is best done through lifestyle changes that are sustainable.

Before getting pregnant, I was 110 lbs. My heaviest weigh in during my third trimester was 132. After giving birth, I weighed 119. By Wolf’s sixth month, I was back to 110, which is an average weight loss of 1.5 lbs per month.

Eight months pregnant:

Two weeks after giving birth:

9 months after giving birth:

Wolf is almost 11 months old now, and I’m still breastfeeding him. Despite eating whatever I want, I’m continuing to shed weight! And when I say whatever, I really mean whatever! Last week, I had my favorite Malted Milk ice cream. The other night, I had a giant cookie. Yesterday, I had a cinnamon roll. Despite all this indulgence, I’m now 105 lbs, which is just around the corner from my weight during my wedding. Ahhh, breastfeeding is just awesome. ❤️

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